Rabah Madjer: Salah pride of Africa, Arab world

Algeria legend and current Algerian national team manager Rabah Madjer has expressed his pride in what Egypt and Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has delivered for club and country this season.

Salah has been on an extraordinary form since the start of the season which prompted several experts and fellow footballers to behold him as one of the best top 5 players in the world at the time being.

Salah has scored 43 goals and assisted other 15 goals in all competitions for Liverpool this season, and Madjer was astonished with the way he grew since joining the Reds.

“I am happy for what he [Salah] is doing, and besides being a great footballer, Salah is an ambassador for Africa and the Arab world in football,” Madjer told Tuttomercatoweb.com.

“He plays in the best league in the world, in a big team and he is lucky to have found a coach like Jurgen Klopp, who is enhancing his characteristics and boosting his self-esteem. He had done great things with Roma but his improvement with Liverpool is impressive.”

Madjer holds the record of being the only Arab player in history to have lifted the Champions League title, in its old version, with Porto in 1987.

“I won Africa Cup of Nations and the Champions League, that was my era. This is, however, the epoch of Salah and he can make it unique by winning the Champions League, which is what I wish. We have many excellent players in Algeria, but we do not pay attention to these things. Salah is the pride of the Arab world and we are all happy: Algerians, Tunisians and Moroccans. He is the ambassador of our culture in football.”

The 59-year-old manager sees Real Madrid the classic favourites for the Champions League title this season alongside Liverpool. He also believes that Salah triumphing Europe’s most prestigious trophy won’t be enough for his Ballon d’Or hunt.

“Liverpool have good chances [in winning CL]. Right now Real Madrid-Liverpool seem to be the most probable scenario for the final with Los Blancos the compulsory favourites, but in football you never know.”

“He can do it [Salah winning Ballon d’Or] but I don’t think it is that easy. He has to win the Champions League but it will not be enough. His bad luck is that his explosion happened in the World Cup year.”